GE Canada plans to invest C$63.5 million ($63.4 million) over the next six years to diversify its product line at its Bromont, Quebec, plant. The funds include C$13.3 million from the provincial government-backed Investissement Quebec's Strategic Support for Investment program. GE said it will allow the facility to manufacture new aircraft engine components such as fan blades' metal leading edges, low-pressure turbine blades and compressor blades and vanes for "next-generation" aircraft engines.
Embraer delivered 21 commercial aircraft in the 2010 first quarter, down from 32 in the year-ago period. Total deliveries for the quarter numbered 41 compared to 40 last year. Commercial deliveries comprised one ERJ-145, five E-170s, one E-175, 12 E-190s and two E-195s. Its commercial backlog totals 243 aircraft.
GECAS announced Friday that it reached agreement with Emirates on the purchase/leaseback of eight GE90-115B engines. EK Senior VP-Corporate Treasury Brian Jeffery noted that the deal is the carrier's "first engine sale and leaseback transaction and is important for Emirates in that it gives us a great deal of operational flexibility for a significant part of our engine fleet." GECAS also reached a sale/leaseback agreement with Air Berlin covering four CFM56-powered A320-200s scheduled for delivery this year.
Lufthansa confirmed it will take delivery of its first A380 on May 19 and conduct a series of trial flights for pilot training across 13 German airports plus Zurich and Vienna from May 31 through June 3. The aircraft's first "passenger" flight will occur on June 6 to transport the German soccer tram to Johannesburg for the World Cup tournament in South Africa. The carrier has not yet released a scheduled service route network for the A380. It will receive three additional A380s this year and four more next year.
Embraer delivered two 76-seat E-170s worth $66.8 million at list price to Libyan aviation service provider Petro Air at the end of March. Deal includes purchase rights to acquire two E-190s, which could bring the total contract value to $146.8 million if all purchase rights are confirmed, it said.
The A330-200 freighter has received EASA Type Certification, Airbus said Friday, noting that certification was achieved for a payload capability of 70 tonnes, 1 tonne more than originally expected.
Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems yesterday announced it successfully completed ETOPS testing of its APS5000 APU for the 787. To date, the APS5000 APU has logged 10,000 APU operating hr. and successfully completed 24,000 starts in its lab- and flight-test program.
AirBridgeCargo Airlines added a fifth 747-400F, a move it said was necessitated by the delay in delivery of its first new 747-8F that was due to join its fleet this year. Boeing now is forecasting delivery of ABC's first -8F, one of five it has on order, in February 2011. "By the end of 2009, we could clearly see that there are some markets in the world, such as Shanghai, that require increased aircraft capacity," ABC Executive President Tatyana Arslanova said.
Hong Kong Airlines finalized its firm order for six A330-200s powered by PW4170 Advantage 70 engines. The carrier signed an MOU with Airbus to purchase the aircraft at the Singapore Airshow ( ATWOnline, Feb. 8). It now has a total of 23 A330s on order.
Boeing and Airbus, driven by competition from Bombardier's CSeries, will both announce narrowbody re-engining programs this year, Bernstein Research predicted in a newly released report. The New York firm said the decision will center on Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G geared turbofan and CFM International's LEAP-X, both of which promise a 15% fuel burn gain over engines powering today's 737s and A320s. The PW1000G will power the CSeries set to enter service in 2013 and the LEAP-X will power COMAC's C919 slated to enter service in 2016.
Boeing is pressing forward with the 787 flight test program and believes first delivery to ANA by the end of November is feasible. The manufacturer expects to obtain Type Inspection Authorization for the 787 this week after passing flutter and structural wing bending tests. TIA will formally kick off the FAA certification process.
Ameco Beijing redelivered a 767 to Bangladesh GMG Airlines March 20 after providing line maintenance and continuous airworthiness engineering services. Ameco Beijing said this was the first time it provided third-party engineering services not involving airframe maintenance.
CFM International said the firm CFM56-7B engine order placed by Virgin Blue Group in conjunction with its firm order for 50 737-800s finalized last week is valued at $700 million. The Australian carrier is expected to begin taking delivery of the new aircraft in June 2011 ( ATWOnline, April 2) and CFM said all of the engines will be of the CFM56-7BE variant ( ATWOnline, March 8).
Air Berlin phased out its remaining Boeing long-haul aircraft, one 767-300ER and two 757-200ERs, which were operated by Swiss subsidiary Belair. The group now uses 13 A330-200s/300s on its long-haul network. It has 15 787s on firm order. Oman Air added its fourth A330, a -300, to its fleet on April 1.
Edelweiss Air, a Swiss International Air Lines subsidiary, ordered one A330-300 for delivery in March 2011 to replace its single A330-200. The carrier operates three A320s and is evaluating the addition of a fourth. It will launch a weekly Zurich-Calgary-Vancouver service on May 31. Edelweiss transported 703.000 passengers last year, nearly 25% more than in 2008.
Embraer last week announced that it has created the new management position of executive VP-new programs-airline market and appointed Executive VP-Airline Market Mauro Kern to the post, leading to speculation that the manufacturer is eyeing a new commercial aircraft program.
Airphil Express is the new name of the former Air Philippines, effective last week. A low-cost subsidiary of Philippine Airlines parent PAL Holdings, Airphil added two single-class, 177-seat A320-200s on lease--its first jets--and placed them into service from Manila to Iloilo, Bacolod, Puerto Princesa and Cagayan de Oro. The acquisition is the beginning of an expansion that will see the carrier acquire 20 A320s over the next 20 years, adding to its current fleet that also includes eight Q-300s/400s.
Frontier Airlines took delivery of a 162-seat A320, the first of three scheduled to arrive this spring. Aircraft features an orca on the tail. Its Airbus fleet currently comprises nine A318s, 38 A319s and five A320s. Helvetic Airways will add its fifth and sixth F100 in May and June respectively. It also will add 30 fulltime employees, increasing the ranks to 150. It said revenue in its fiscal year ended March 31 was "around" CHF5 million ($4.7 million).
Boeing will conduct stability, control and flutter tests on its 747-8F next week before launching NAMS testing designed to establish fuel burn figures at high altitude. VP and GM-747 Program Mohammad Yahyavi told ATWOnline in Seattle that current testing is proceeding well while acknowledging that a slight redesign of the landing gear door will be required to address buffet when the gear is lowered and the flaps are fully deployed for landing. The 777 had a similar buffet problem with its nose gear in 1994.
Virgin Blue Group finalized a contract with Boeing for up to 105 737NGs, confirming and adding to a February MOU in a deal that is the biggest in the Australian company's 10-year history and the largest Boeing has landed in 18 months. The agreement includes 50 firm 737-800s with options to convert orders to either the -700 or -900, plus 25 options and 30 purchase rights. Deliveries are scheduled to run from June 2011 through 2017 ( ATWOnline, Feb. 25).
Boeing will take an income tax charge of approximately $150 million on its first-quarter earnings statement owing to the recently passed health care reform legislation in the US, which no longer allows companies to claim a tax deduction related to prescription drug benefits for retirees. The tax increase does not take effect until 2013, but accounting standards dictate that the writedown must occur in the period when the legislation is passed, Boeing said.
Malaysia Airlines firmed a December MOU for 15 A330-300s and added two A330-200 freighters to the order, Airbus announced yesterday ( ATWOnline, Dec. 23, 2009). Passenger aircraft deliveries will begin in the first half of next year while the first freighter will join the MASkargo fleet later in 2011. MAS's A330s will seat 283 passengers across two classes. The freighters will be able to carry nearly 70 tonnes up to 3,200 nm., according to the manufacturer.
